18 September 2026 · 2026-09 newsletter
Sr. Luisa Maria
When Sr. Luisa Maria returned to Australia in June, one member of the Movement said to her at the Shrine, “If God called you back to Australia, it means that your mission is not yet finished.” She shares what this comment meant to her and the consequences:
“I wondered, what could this mission be? I began praying a novena to Sr. M. Emilie. On the last day of the novena, a thought came to me: How can I bring people to Schoenstatt? The answer seemed clear — to begin a Schoenstatt Couples’ Group. So, I spoke to a couple whom I thought could help me. Their response was very positive, and they immediately invited another couple to join them. The answer was again a definite “YES!”
After several phone calls and exchanges about planning and clarifying the programme our first Schoenstatt Couples’ Orientation Day was held on Covenant Sunday, 16th August. For the many practical preparations, a “Team” helped me.
On the day itself, fifteen couples who had registered came. The joy of meeting them was great, especially when we began the programme. The husbands introduced their wives, and the wives introduced their husbands. They shared how long they had been married and a little about their lives together.
There were five parts to the programme. The first was Getting to Know Each Other, followed by the Couples’ Memory Challenge. We then shared Afternoon Tea, followed by a 20-minute talk on the theme “With Mary, Growing in Love and Faith.”
The fifth part was the Couples’ Conversation, which unfortunately we did not manage to do because we ran out of time. Instead, I gave each couple a questionnaire to take home as their assignment.
We ended the session with a beautiful song video, “My Queen, My Mother.”
Afterwards, people stayed for a while to chat. They thanked us for the wonderful day and returned their completed sign-up forms. Of the fifteen couples who attended the Orientation Day, fourteen committed themselves to coming to monthly meetings and becoming part of the newly established Couples’ Group.
Special thank you to the Team: Derek and Joycelyn, Willy and Yolly, Annie and Sr M Renee. Thank you also to Martina who helped with the registration. At the end of the day, another family joined the Team — Billy and Lya from Glenmore Park. Billy, a licensed electrician, helped me set up the projector and made sure my laptop kept working. Lya helped with the registration. Their willingness to serve was a great help.
I could only say a grateful ‘Deo Gratias’.”
Because of the overwhelming response, Sr. Luisa Maria held a second Schoenstatt Couples’ Orientation Day on Sunday, 30th August. This time, the invitation was extended to three neighbouring parishes and eleven couples joined for this second orientation. Six of these couples also indicated their interest in joining a monthly meeting. Let us accompany this new initiative with our prayers.
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